The results of the 2nd Poetry Competition of Radamantis Publications were announced by the members of the competition evaluation committee.
According to what they announced, the awarding of the prizes, as well as readings of the distinguished poems, will take place during an event – book launch, on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at 8 p.m. at Polychoros Radamantis (G. Xepappa 7, Chania). The members of the jury are participating: Christina Berivaki, Katerina Fragaki, Andromachi Khourdaki. Greetings from Christos Tsantis, head of Radamanthys Publications.
In detail, in its announcement, the committee states the following:
“The evaluation committee of the 2nd Poetry Competition of RADAMANTHYS Publications welcomes the effort of all participants and after a thorough reading and analysis of the submitted poems is able to announce its results.
But first, we would like to say a few words about the overall feeling we got from this Poetry Competition which is another creative intersection of RADAMANTHYS publications.
From the large number of participants we received the hopeful message that even in our country the need for writing and in this case poetry remains vital and indisputable. In fact, having already gone through the great crisis of the pandemic, this year the interested parties were able to express themselves with a poetic speech far removed from the recent health crisis. In last year’s competition, the trauma of the pandemic was noticeable in the poetry of the participants.
However, in this competition as well, the poetic speech was distinguished by mature social reflection and intense interest in contemporary reality. Many poems were of modern form, most in free verse and a smaller number honored rhyme. It was pleasing to note that the participants not only write poetry, but are also readers of it, as evidenced by influences in their verse-making. Thus, in this intellectual venture too, Poetry was honored with empathy and new gifted poetic voices emerged that have much to offer.
At this point and shortly before the announcement of the results, we would like to address the following words of RAINER MARIA RILKE from his book Letters to a New Poet:
“No one can advise you or help you, no one. There is only one way: dive into yourself, look for the cause that compels you to write, test if its roots grow from the deepest corners of your heart. Confess to yourself: would you die if you were forbidden to write? This, first of all: ask yourself, in the quietest hour of your night: Should I write? Dig deep within yourself to find the answer. And if this answer resonates in the affirmative, if in the face of this profound question you can raise a solid and simple Must, then shape your life with this need”.
FIRST PRIZE: “MY FATHER’S HOME”, PANAGIOTIS ARGYROPOULOS, THESSALONIKI
SECOND PRIZE: “EPILOGOS”, PATSIATZIS IOANNIS, CORFU
THIRD PRIZE (TO BE SHARED BY TWO POEMS):
“CODE: THE CLAUSE OF WRATH”, ARIS (ARISTEIDES) GERARDIS, ATHENS
“SHORT TIME FOR TWO PLUS ONE”, IRINI ANGELINA, NICOSIA, CYPRUS
PRAISES:
1) “The bee and Icarus”, Panteleimon Hambidis, Thessaloniki
2) “Third World War”, Antonios Efthymiou, Athens
3) “Afron Faethon”, Eleni Paraschidou, Oreokastro, Thessaloniki
4) “The sarcophagi”, Paraskevi Spiropoulou, Cholargos
5) “The swimming of Narcissus”, Maria Chiou, Nea Smyrni
6) “Prompt”, Nikolaos Papagiannakis, Paleo Faliro
7) “Omonoia Square”, Vicky (Eudokia) Prasinou, Glyfada
8) “Monument”, Fotini Pantazatou, Petroupoli
9) “Melancholia”, Christos Boukis, New Philadelphia
10) “Rouho Gadiano”, Panagiotis Koumbouras, Akrata Aegialia
11) “My state”, Konstantinos Margaritis, Ilioupoli
12) “New Village, where the sky is different!”, Niki Protogeraki, Heraklion, Crete
13) “Visit”, Vassilis Kyritsis, Ilion
14) “Angels in the mud”, Konstantinos Kyrlas, Preveza
15) “Equator”, Zoe Galidaki, Paleo Faliro
16) “Reconstruction”, Konstantina Antoniadou-Anemi, London
17) “Gypsies”, Athanasios Nakas
18) “A-fobos”, Artemis Planaki, Chania
19) “The Eternal Man”, Nikolaos Loukadakis, Heraklion
20) “Right to be forgotten”, Konstantinos Mountakis, Chania”.